Israel systematically demolishing Rafah as Gaza death toll exceeds 52,200

Israel’s army has been systematically demolishing the remaining ruins of Rafah, residents say, raising fears that civilians will soon be confined to a sealed "humanitarian zone" in the devastated southern edge of Gaza city.

Explosions have rocked the area around the clock as Israeli forces flatten what was once home to 300,000 people.

Residents displaced to other parts of Gaza described constant tremors and the unrelenting sound of destruction.

"Explosions never stop, day and night, whenever the ground shakes, we know they are destroying more homes in Rafah. Rafah is gone," said Tamer, a displaced resident now in Deir Al-Balah, as per Reuters.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the military is preparing a "humanitarian zone" in Rafah, where civilians would be moved after security checks. Aid would reportedly be distributed by private firms, though the Israeli military has not officially commented.

Since relaunching its ground offensive in mid-March, Israel has seized land across Gaza and ordered evacuations from newly-declared "buffer zones," including all of Rafah, which accounts for around 20% of the Strip’s area.

Israel’s total blockade of Gaza, which began on 2 March, has prevented the entry of food and medical supplies for nearly two months.

Israeli officials argue that enough aid entered during the previous six-week truce to avert famine, and maintain that Hamas fighters would exploit new deliveries.

However, United Nations agencies warn Gaza is teetering on the brink of mass hunger and disease, with humanitarian conditions described as the worst since the conflict began on 7 October 2023.

With food supplies exhausted, Gazans are foraging for weeds, dry leaves, and turtles to survive.

One woman told Reuters she forwent necessary surgery to instead feed her children. "There is no meat, no cooking gas, no flour, and no life — this is Gaza in simple but painful terms," she said.

Gaza health authorities said on Monday that Israeli strikes killed at least 23 people across the enclave, including 10 victims, some of them children, in Jabalia and six in a café strike in the south.

Meanwhile, ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt have yet to secure an agreement.

Fifty-nine Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive.

Hamas says hostages will be released only under a deal to end the war; Israel insists Hamas must first be disarmed.

At least 52,243 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, 51 people were killed and 115 injured, bringing the total number of wounded to 117,639.

Many victims remain trapped under rubble, the ministry said, with rescuers unable to reach them. An additional 697 names have been added to the official casualty registry.

Since Israel resumed its assault on March 18, following the collapse of a ceasefire, 2,151 people have been killed and 5,598 wounded.

The International Criminal Court last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.